Spicy Red Velvet Brownies

These spicy red velvet brownies make for a unique Valentine’s Day dessert (or for anytime!). This was my first time making a dessert with beets and I must say, it worked out very well. There’s still a little bit of beet flavor, but the honey tones it down and the cocoa makes for a nice complement. Additionally, these are incredibly moist. That would actually be how I’d describe the brownies if I could only pick one word. Maybe red (or reddish) too, if I could pick two words.

I’m actually not a big Valentine’s person, but I still always end up doing a little something for Jesse. I think it’s because I was raised celebrating Valentine’s Day, both in school and at home, and a part of me still enjoys doing something cheesy or cute. What can I say? I don’t go all out though and always keep it low key. We usually have dinner at home with a special dessert (these brownies this year!), and I like to surprise Jesse with a few special dark chocolates from a local chocolatier.

Biggest beet ever. I only needed this big beet for the recipe because it yielded so much.

Directions:

Place beets inside a steamer basket in a pot, and cook for 15-20 minutes or until fork tender.

Once done, add the beets to a high-speed blender with the vanilla and honey. Blend a couple minutes, or until smooth and well combined.

Add the cinnamon, cayenne, sea salt, cocoa powder and homemade chocolate chips. Blend on high for a minute or so. Then, add the melted butter and blend again.

If the beet mixture is still warm, which it most likely will be, temper the beaten eggs by mixing a little of the beet mixture into the eggs. Once mixed, pour the eggs into the blender. This will ensure you don’t end up with scrambled eggs in your brownies! Blend for another minute, or until mixed through.

Grease an 8×8 pan and pour batter evenly into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean (it’ll still be beet red though!). Let cool for at least 25 minutes before cutting, as it takes some time for the brownies to set up. If you cut into them too early, they will fall apart.

Once cool, cut into squares or use cookie cutters to make shapes. I made heart shapes for Valentine’s Day.

I made beet donuts last week. They didn’t turn out red at all (all the color baked out), so I deemed them a failure. Maybe I just needed to add more beets! I only used about a cup for batter that filled a six-donut pan…

I made beet donuts last week. They didn’t turn out red at all (all the color baked out), so I deemed them a failure. Maybe I just needed to add more beets! I only used about a cup for batter that filled a six-donut pan…

Tried these last night. Wasn’t sure how well the beets would work out. I’d never baked with them before. In the past, my kids didn’t care too much for them (they had a bad experience with them at their great-grandmas, thinking they were cranberries) But I wanted to try a red velvet type recipe without actually having to use red food coloring. Yuk! I thought I’d rather have a beety taste than the bitter taste of dye. Well, it got great reviews from my kids! Yeah! Thanks again!

I’m so glad the recipe worked out for you and that your kids liked them! That’s great news! I can definitely see how your kids’ mistaking beets for cranberries could leave a bad taste in their mouth. This happened to me when I was a kid, but with rutabaga. I thought it was mashed potatoes and learned quickly that it definitely was not! Fortunately, I like rutabaga now 🙂

If you’re not a beet fan, which I’m guessing is what you were hinting at, you may not care for the flavor. They’re definitely earthy. It’s toned down by the honey and cocoa, but is still very much apparent. I hope you like it if you try it though! Do you like roasted beets? That’s one of my favorite ways to eat beets. Beet chips are pretty awesome too. Beets are not beats though, as far as I know…unless you know something I don’t 😉 Sorry, I couldn’t resist!

[…] 14. Spicy Red Velvet Brownies Here are a ways to shake up the brownie status quo. Using a red velvet recipe is one way, and making them spicy is another. The red coloring comes from beets, no artificial colors here. The spice comes from a bit of cayenne pepper and the rest of the ingredients are so simple you’ll wonder how these come out looking like normal brownies. There isn’t any flour, or even a flour substitute, and they’ve figured out how to use the beets as the main ingredient. They’ve done a good job keeping everything pure and fresh, recommending that you use grass-fed butter and pasture raised eggs. […]

[…] 14. Spicy Red Velvet Brownies Here are a ways to shake up the brownie status quo. Using a red velvet recipe is one way, and making them spicy is another. The red coloring comes from beets, no artificial colors here. The spice comes from a bit of cayenne pepper and the rest of the ingredients are so simple you’ll wonder how these come out looking like normal brownies. There isn’t any flour, or even a flour substitute, and they’ve figured out how to use the beets as the main ingredient. They’ve done a good job keeping everything pure and fresh, recommending that you use grass-fed butter and pasture raised eggs. […]

[…] Spicy Red Velvet Brownies (nut free) Red velvet cake brings a new level of adventure to dessert. Yes, red is an appetite stimulator, so it could be that. Or it could be that it’s different from the norm why a “brownie” is dubbed as such. Whatever it is that is so alluring about red and chocolate is also adding chemicals to your favorite treats. Instead of food coloring, this recipe taps into the red sugar power of beets for a sinful snack. Even more, this Paleo brownie recipe maintains the sultry vibes and kicks up the antioxidant powers by adding in some spice. Adventure at its most delicious! […]

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Hi, my name is Alisa! I am a paleo recipe creator, personal trainer, and all around health and wellness enthusiast living in Portland, Oregon. I am passionate about living, moving and eating well, and love inspiring others to do so too. Read More…